Our 1st Quarter '07 FReepathon is now Underway!

Click here to donate ^ | January 1, 2007 | Jim Robinson

[Jim Robinson]

Happy New Year Everyone!

Are you ready for a FReepathon?

Well, we're entering a new year and a period of new challenges. Pelosi & Co have some big plans for us. Unfortunately, their plans are not necessarily conducive to continued liberty.

As a matter of fact, their immediate desire is to further clampdown on our rights to free speech and freedom of assembly. If you loved McCaine/Feingold, you're really going to love Pelosi. It's aimed directly at grassroots organizations and could all but neuter political forums like FR.

Under Pelosi, any grassroots organization that reaches 500 people or more and asks them to communicate with their representatives regarding political issues would be required to register with the government as lobbyists and report quarterly on finances and expenditures and report separately on each individual issue they're advocating.

Huh? What happened to the first Amendment? Between McCain/Feingold and Pelosi, it's gone. Free speech and freedom of assembly would be history. Regulated to death. Forums and grassroots organizations like FR would be completely under the government thumb.

But it's not just the feds. The states are clamping down too. We're currently locking horns with the Commonwealth of Virginia. Virginia, the home of Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, James Madison and the cradle of American Liberty itself now has a law they're trying to apply to Free Republic. Their state law requires charities that raise more then $5,000 per year in Virginia to register and report audited financials to the state. And even though we're a California company and clearly not a charity (we raise money to fund our operations, not for charitable purposes), they want to cross state lines and regulate our activities.

I tell you, between federal and state governments clamping down on our rights and the mainstream media corporations pressing the copyright issues, we're quickly losing our rights to organize and communicate on the Internet. The freewheeling wide open days of the Internet frontier are just about to end for the grassroots citizen.

And what's really ironic about all this is that just as the terrorists and enemies of freedom abroad are ramping up their Internet activities aimed at destroying our free society, we are being squeezed off the Net by the domestic enemy at home.

Oh, well, enough of my ranting. It's a new year and we have plenty to be thankful for. Thank God for each new day of good health and freedom. Thank God for our courageous military and may He watch over and protect our men and women in uniform wherever they may be serving and may they all return safely home soon.

Here's wishing you all a Blessed and Happy New Year!

God Bless America and God Bless us all.

God willing and through His good graces, we shall prevail!

Special note to Virginia residents:

We still do not have a resolution for the donations issue with the Commonwealth of Virginia, so please hold your donations until we get it resolved. As it is, any donations received from Virginia have to be returned or turned over to our lawyer to hold in his trust account until we get the matter settled.

Thank you all very much!

Regards,

Jim Robinson

[onyx]

Thank you, ((HiJinx))

[Jim Robinson]

Thank you, Publius!!

[Jim Robinson]

Double thanks, Fierce Allegiance!!

[Jim Robinson]

Thank you, abb!!

[onyx]

Thank you, ((ncpatriot))

[NinoFan]

Done and bumped

[Jim Robinson]

Thank you, facedown!!

[Torie]

That list is about as accurate as the voting rolls in Cleveland. It needs to be culled. Still, I am happy to have made the contribution. The stars were just aligned right. No, I am not into astrology. I have not substituted traditional religion for New Age. This near atheist would far prefer the former if forced to make a choice. :)

[Jim Robinson]

Thank you, STARWISE!!

[onyx]

Thank you, facedown!!!

[onyx]

That list is about as accurate as the voting rolls in Cleveland.

Sans any democrats, I trust.....LOL.

[VirginiaMom]

Well, since I donated BEFORE completely reading your post, and I'm from Virginia....I apologize since it sounds like life has gotten complicated for you dealing with our fair State.

VirginiaMom

[Knitting A Conundrum]

And a happy New Year to you too...and thank you for putting up with the whole cantankerous lot of us!

[Jim Robinson]

Thank you, HiJinx!!

[Jim Robinson]

Thank you, ncpatriot!! Happy New Year!!

[AVNevis]

BUMP

[Jim Robinson]

Thank you very much, NinoFan!!

[Mrs.Nooseman]

Happy New Year
BTTT.

[Jim Robinson]

Thank you very much, VirginiaMom!! I hope we get this all worked out soon. Happy New Year!!

[Miss Marple]

Jim, since I last became a monthly donor. I have changed both e-mails and credit cards. Please let me know what I should do in order to continue donating monthly.